I Know What I Want
by TooWeirdTooFunction
Summary: Haley had studied the guy at the bar for a while. She didn't mean too, but something about him automatically drew her in. She didn't know how long he had been in the bar. He probably didn't know either: He was so lost in his own little world. He hadn't even noticed all the women that circled around him, sending him alluring smiles. - A Naley story -
1. Chapter 1 of 2

**Story: I know what I Want**

**Writer: TooWeirdTooFunction**

**Part 1 of 2**

This story was inspired by ToBecomeAClown's story "Fahrenheit" You should check it out if you haven't already – it's really amazing J

P.S. Don't worry it's in English, despite of the title ;P

**~…~**

**A smile costs nothing, but gives much-  
It takes but a moment, but the memory of it usually lasts forever.  
None are so rich that can get along without it-  
And none are so poor but that can be made rich by it.**

**It enriches those who receive, without making poor those who give-  
It creates sunshine in the home,  
Fosters good will in business,  
And is the best antidote for trouble-  
And yet it cannot be begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is of no value  
Unless it is given away.**

**~…~**

Haley had been studying the guy for a while. She didn't mean too, but something about him automatically drew her in.

His eyes closed as the liquid burned his throat, and then wiped his hand down his face. She didn't know how long he had been in the bar. He probably didn't know either: He was so lost in his own little world. He hadn't even noticed all the women that circled around him, sending him alluring smiles.

He was the image of the ultimate bad boy; rolled up sleeves, untucked shirt, liquor in one hand, with disheveled untidy black hair.

Muscles bulged through his shirt. He was definitely fit and physically threatening. Maybe that was why no woman had dared to directly approached him?

Well, that, and the fact that he was brooding worse than Lucas Scott – one of her best friends.

"Hallooo?"

A questionable voice sounded and a hand was waved in front of her face. Her eyes fluttered as her eyes refocused on the blonde, curly-haired girl before her.

"Sorry" Haley mumbled to the blonde, Peyton, as she took a small sip of her own drink.

"What is with you tonight? I swear, you're more unfocused than a toddler"

Haley fake-laughed, as her gaze automatically drifted to the guy again. Peyton followed her gaze: An appreciative smile grew on her lips.

"Nice!" she proclaimed as her eyes appreciatively ran over every inch of his body. "A little broody though, not really your type?" Peyton questioned at the petite girl in front of her.

Moody, mad, menacing – all words that automatically popped into Peyton's mind as she studied the guy.

Despite the fact that he was mad hot as well, he was definitely Haley's polar opposite.

"Don't know what you're talking about" Haley quickly, too quickly, amended. As if she hadn't even seen the 6'2 man towering at the bar.

"Haleyyy" Peyton warned.

"What?" Haley asked innocently, but Peyton didn't fall for it. She gave Haley a pointed look.

"He isn't the kind of guy you want to mess with. Trust me" Peyton took another look at the mysterious guy at the bar: The Rolex, the designer clothes. Everything just screamed arrogant bastard. It was obvious to her that he would just take advantage of Haley's kindness.

His drunken state and threatening demeanor only added to her suspension.

Haley looked too see what Peyton meant – but found nothing about the man threatening. He just looked… _lost._ Despite his tough outer shell, he seemed to truly troubled - something Haley definitely recognized.

She actually felt bad for the guy as he sat there alone. He looked like a beautifully crafted disaster.

She continued to stare at him and considered her options: It wasn't like her to be so straightforward - especially at a bar. But something told her that he needed her. Or at least _someone_.

Someone who wasn't just going to take advantage of him.

When Haley watched the stranger struggle with his inner voice, she smiled sympathetically: The choice had just been made for her.

Haley looked to Peyton, and smiled convincingly:

"I'm just going to talk to him"

"Haley, no!" Peyton hissed quietly, as Haley got up from the bar stool.

"It'll be fine"

"Haley!" Peyton hissed once again and tried to stop her, but Haley had already gone.

_There she goes again_. Peyton thought to herself – _always trying to save everybody._ As much as she loved Haley for being so kind and attentive towards people, she kind of feared it was going to bite her in the ass someday.

Or rather _today_.

**~…~**

Haley had weighed her option as she neared the man. How should she approach him?

She decided to go for the simple approach, as she sat on the stool besides him. He probably had had enough with people who tried to play him around.

He didn't even seem to notice her as he still sat with his head cradled in his hands staring at his drink.

"Hi" Haley said kindly, as a genuine smile stretched across the face, illuminating her face.

"I'm not interested" the man stated coldly. His raspy, callous voice startled her. He didn't even bother to look up at her, but instead he tightened his grip on the drink in front of him.

"I'm sorry?" She questioned, slightly startled at his hard tone. He did not sound happy at all.

"I _said_: I'm not interested!" he repeated slowly in a mocking manner, as if she was retarded or something.

Haley just sat there frozen in complete shock. She knew beforehand that he wasn't going to be a bundle of joy, but this extreme she hadn't seen coming. He wasn't just brooding like her friend Lucas did, he was fuming with anger, frustration, and… hurt? She actually felt kind of bad for him.

The way he had talked to her though, was unacceptable. In fact, that was no way to talk to anyone.

Now that she was close enough to him, she could see the way his brow seemed to be creased into a permanent scowl. It made worry lines stretch across his forehead.

"What do you want?" he asked abruptly, as he noticed Haley had yet to move.

"I don't want anything?" Haley questioned confused. What was with this guy?

This answer made the man snort rudely as he mumbled "Everybody wants something". He took another sip of his drink, and continued to look straight-ahead.

Haley felt contradicting emotions swirling trough her body: She was angry with the way that he talked to her, but on the other hand she felt really bad for him – like she wanted to hold him tight and tell him that it was going to be alright.

So, should she hug him or slap him?

This she contemplated when he startled her: She barely heard him groan in frustration and anger before he roughly turned towards her. In that split second Haley felt fear and adrenalin rushing through her veins, and prepared herself for the worst. He wouldn't really hit a woman, would he? Had she really misjudged him so much? These kind of thoughts ran through her mind - so what happened next surprised her: With a firm hand he grabbed her jean clad thigh… and started to stoke her thigh! He never even tried to make eye contact as he started to grope her.

Haley's eyes turned into two small slits, as she glared at him. If the way he had talked to her before had made her mad, this on the other hand made her furious! Who did he think he was? She was just about to shove his hand away, when his voice sounded:

"Is this what you want?"

She couldn't quite decide if the tone of his voice was seducing, or mocking? It was deep and soft like velvet; enough to make any woman swoon, but it also had a certain edge to it. It was probably a bit of both, she decided.

"That's definitely not what I want!" Haley answered as she pushed his hands away from her thigh. "… And trust me, it's not want you want either if you value you're reproduction system!"

This seemed to snap something in him, or maybe just confuse him enough to make eye contact with her: Brown clashed with blue.

But his eyes were not just blue; they were ocean blue, and seemed as deep as the ocean as well. She felt herself like slipping into it.

Her eyes had slightly widened at the sight of him, completely forgetting that she was supposed to be mad at him. She quickly realized that she had to snap out of it though, and put the glare back onto her face.

His eyes, no matter how beautiful there were, was not going to excuse his behavior.

The man before her seemed to have been slightly shaken as well, as he studied her: The way that her eyes were the warmest shade of brown. Even through the glare she tried to carry, she still looked innocent and... Sincere? A quality he hadn't met in a long time. Actually he didn't think he had ever met it. Not really. Not ever.

… And this girl in front of him probably didn't have it either, he rationalized. _Looks can be deceiving,_ he reminded himself. He knew this first hand.

But she did _seem_ pretty damned close, he had to admit: With her big brown eyes and the way her slightly curled, honey blonde hair tumbled down from her shoulders. It made her look innocent and stunning at the same time. Even her skin looked gloving, and soft… and inviting.

Haley studied him, as he seemed to be rendered speechless. All he did was to continue to stare at her. Normally she would probably have found it creepy, but right now, she actually preferred it rather than have him speaking!

It was like he was trying to solve a puzzle where a couple of pieces were missing. The way his head slightly tilted to the side as he tried to figure it out, was actually quite adorable. It made some of all that bravado go away, that he had been shielding himself with.

Haley briefly wondered if she should just walk away. It was clear that he didn't want any company. The rational thing would be to walk away. So why couldn't she?

For once in her life Haley James was going to act irrational.

**~…~**


	2. Chapter 2 of 2

**Story: I know what I Want**

**Writer: TooWeirdTooFunction**

**Part 2 of 2**

**~…~**

They sat there and stared at each other. They both seemed to soften up, as they looked into each other's eyes.

It was actually quite romantic... for a while! And then Haley started to feel kind of awkward. How did they move on from here? And why did he just keep staring?

It was as if he sensed her getting uncomfortable, as he held his hand forward for her to shake.

"Nathan Scott" he introduced himself. He looked at her expectantly, awaitingly, and… apprehensively? Which kind of confused her.

"Haley James" She answered, as their hands met. His hand seemed to swallow up her tiny hand.

A sense of relief seemed to rush through him, as he relaxed himself a bit more into his seat.

"Want a drink Haley James?" He offered. A peace offering she figured. And as close to an apology as she was going to get.

She nodded, and smiled slightly: "A beer, thanks", she told the bartender. She pulled out her wallet to pay for it, when Nathan stopped her.

"I've got this" He answered.

Haley couldn't help but smile at his outdated chivalry, as she slightly shook her head.

"Thanks, but I think I can manage to pay for my own beer"

If she thought he had looked confused before, he looked borderline lost now! It was kind of comical to look at.

"Don't look so shocked Nathan Scott! It's not like it the 1950's!" Haley laughed, before she took a swig of her beer.

It toke Nathan a couple of second to digest this information. He then proceeded to hold up his own his own glass to her. A smile almost seemed to threaten at the edges of his lips.

"Cheers"

This time they both toke a swig.

Silence surrounded them again. Again it was it was slightly awkward, but not as much as before.

"So, what do you want?" Nathan asked.

Haley looked at him doubtfully – where they really back to this again?

"I mean, what made you come over here?" he amended as he saw her reaction.

"It seemed like you needed company the most", she shrugged nonchalantly, as she toke another sip of her beer. She felt his eyes on her again. Studying her.

She looked to meet his gaze head on and his expression immediately softened. He still seemed to refuse to smile though.

Haley didn't quite know what to say to him, as she had a hard time reading him, so she was grateful when he started up another conversation.

"What do you do for a living?" He asked. His honest curiosity kind of confused himself. Since when did he even care?

"I'm a teacher" Haley told him. This subject seemed to get her talking/ranting, as she passionately proclaimed how much she loved her job. How she loved helping others. How gratifying it was.

She was animated, as her hands flew around her when she tried to demonstrate a point. Her eyes seemed to flutter, when she searched for just the right words.

It had him mesmerized.

"...When I'm tutoring someone, and they get it, and that light goes on, I feel good! I feel worthy." Haley finally took a moment to breath. And then she realized just how long she had been talking.

"Sorry, I ramble lot" she admitted slightly embarrassed, as she took another long swig of her beer, trying to hide her now rosy cheeks.

Nathan just stared at her… again!

"So what do you do for a living? Haley asked, trying to get the focus away from her.

Nathan gave her an _are-you-serious_ look. Haley just looked back at him confused. Wasn't that the polite thing to ask next?

"Basketball" Nathan finally grumbled and looked away from her again. The walls and bravado seemed to rise again, as fast as it had started to come down.

To be honest his behavior was really confusing her. One minute he couldn't stop staring at her, the next he would totally ignore her existence. She guessed she just had to be grateful that he was starting to talk and open up, so she decided to just roll with it.

"Really? My friend Lucas loves basketball"

Nathan just rolled his eyes at this information.

"He teaches the Ravens at the high school where I work. Which team do you train?" Haley asked uncertainly. Maybe their teams were competing against one another or something, since Nathan had turned so defensive.

"I don't coach. I play" He stated shortly. This time he starred directly at her while saying this - as if he was searching to find something - Analyzing her every move.

A small "_oh_" was all that escaped from Haley's lips. She felt really stupid, and she was sure that Nathan was thinking that as well. She knew nothing about basketball. She was a "hopeless cause", according to Lucas. He had tried to teach her the basics, but soon realized that it was an impossible task. He had persuaded her to come to a few games though, where she showed up to show her support.

But usually she would sneak a good book with her!

"So, what's the name of your team?" Haley asked, as she couldn't think of anything more intelligent to ask about the subject.

Nathan just looked at her incredulously, making Haley feel even more pathetic.

"The Charlotte Bobcats" he slowly decided to answer her, after a long hard stare.

Haley felt a giggle threatening to rip through her. She chewed down on her bottom lip and tried to hold her mask, she really did! But it was just too funny. It wasn't long before her laugh sounded through the bar. Her eyes sparkled alongside her million dollar smile.

Her reaction sent Nathan eyebrows flying up into his hairline. It was pretty much the biggest reaction she had gotten from him all night. The look of confusion and uncertainty only made it even funnier in Haley's opinion.

"I'm sorry" Haley finally said, as she tried to catch her breath " It's just… Bobcats, seriously?" Haley started to laugh again.

This time it was Nathans turn to consider if he wanted to bolt! But something about this bizarre event before him, intrigued him.

"What's so funny?" he asked genuinely curios, as he watched this strange beautiful creature before him, trying to collect herself again. Something about that smile and giggle was addictive.

This was a first for Nathan. Never before had a girl reacted more to the _name_ of his team, rather than the fact that he was an actual player, who was worth a lot of money.

"I'm sorry, nothing, it's nothing" Haley amended as she tried to keep a straight face. But Nathan wasn't about to let this go. Now he had to know.

"Come on tell me" He put on his seducing voice again – this time without any hard edge to it – which made it even more sexy. It was enough to make any woman melt - And It definitely made Haley's heart race a little faster.

Haley didn't want to tell him, and embarrass herself even more. But then she considered what had already happened this evening and realized it couldn't get much worse!

"Okay" she finally relented "but you have to swear you won't repeat what I am going to tell me"

"Promise" Nathan said quickly, and watched her with anticipation.

Haley looked around, as if to make sure nobody was listening. She scooted closer to him as she started to tell the story.

Nathan scooted closer too… Not because of the secret story, but because he really liked the idea of being closer to her. This was just a perfect excuse.

He got a whiff of her sweet perfume. The smell invaded his senses. By God she smelled good.

Haley confessed that her middle name was indeed _Bob_. Her eyebrows cringed together in embarrassment at this. Apparently her parents had indeed named her after their beloved dead _cat_.

"… so you see, I'm a bit of a Bobcat too" she declared while smiling brilliantly. Her eyes sparkled playfully.

Nathan just stared at her. Was she serious? Was she really telling the truth? He had heard a lot of strange stories, from woman who tried to get to him, but this story was weird… even by his standard!

She seemed sincere as a small blush now threatened to show. _She always seemed sincere though_, he thought to himself.

It seemed too freaky to be a coincidence though.

"So what else do you know about being a Bobcat?" he asked, as if he was testing her.

Haley didn't even notice this as she answered him: "Just that they score their touchdowns or whatever! I'm not exactly what you would call and athletic person. Needless to say my gym teacher hated me!"

Her sarcastic answer was so blasé that it caused Nathan to stare at her again. But this time he stared at her as if she was a unicorn or something. She wasn't exactly sure if that was a good or a bad thing?

Then his lips slightly twitched: It was as close to a smile she had seen from him all night.

Haley couldn't help the smile that once again spread out on her own lips.

As she studied him again, she had to wonder if it was it possible that he had grown even hotter? Maybe it was because he seemed lighter? Maybe it was because of the way his eyes twinkled mischievously? Maybe it was because of the way he was looking at her right now: Like her could eat her up right then and there!

Haley wanted to fan herself down. Was it just her, or was it getting increasingly hot in there? Never before had anyone looked at her so passionately.

Nathan carried a confident smirk as he closed in on her and whispered sensually in her ear: "Care to dance Haley _Bob _James?"

Chills ran through her body because of his hot breath and close proximity.

Nathan stood up and held out his hand. Haley looked from his hand to his face: All of the hard edges she had seen earlier seemed to have melted away from him. In front of her now stood a perfect gentleman.

Yep, this version of Nathan was definitely hotter, she concluded!

She smiled almost shyly as she reached for his hand. His hand once again swallowed hers up.

As they walked towards the dance floor, she realized just how much taller he was than her - even now, when she was wearing stilettoes. _Shouldn't this feel uncomfortable or threatening_, she wondered briefly.

Maybe it should, but somehow all she felt was safe and protected.

Nathan placed a hand on the small of her back, as they swayed gracefully to the music that now filled their ears.

She let herself get carried away by the amazing feeling as they danced instead of talked.

Somewhere along the way, Haley's head had come to rest on Nathan's chest. Haley wasn't sure if Nathan had guided her head there or if it had gravitated there on its own. It didn't matter; it felt too good to try and figure out.

She felt Nathan's strong hands rubbing her back and she secured her arms tightly around his waist.

Suddenly a mischievous grin spread across her lips, as she reached her lips up to his ear. This time it was her turn to whisper seductively into his ear:

"I know what I want" She confessed secretively.

"What?" Nathan asked confused as he pulled away to look her in the eyes.

"You said everybody wants something – I've decided what I want" Her eyes shone playfully and beautifully back at him. Nathan looked aroused but also tentative. He was almost afraid of what her request was going to be, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had misjudged her after all?

"I want you… to _smile_"

Nathan blinked at her a few times, with those amazingly blue eyes. She could see the confusion slowly starting to disappear. Before she knew what happened, he was braking out into full on laugh. It was probably one of the single most beautiful things she had heard. Soon she laughed alongside his contagious laugh.

As their laughter subsided, they looked deeply into each other's eyes, finding nothing but peace and a weird sense of belonging.

Haley felt Nathan pull her closer to him - like he never wanted to let her go.

**~…~**

Yes, Nathan was right: Everybody _wants_ something. But maybe what they _need_ is something as simple as a smile.

**~…~**

**Some people are too busy to give you a smile - Give them one of yours-  
For the good Lord knows that no one needs a smile so badly  
As he or she who has no more smiles left to give.**

**~…~**


End file.
